Niimi-san’s felling practice—which had steadily eroded his common sense—ended once we’d cleared a fairly large area. Yuji and I had chipped in too, so we’d probably brought down about ten trees in total.
Including the time it took to strip the branches and buck the logs into manageable lengths, the whole process hadn’t even taken thirty minutes.
"……Anyway, that’s enough felling for today."
"Good work," we all chorused.
"Honestly... I’m exhausted. Mentally, anyway."
Niimi-san wore an expression of profound fatigue. His gaze was a mix of exasperation and hollowness as he stared at the cleared space and the neatly lined-up logs.
It wasn't just my imagination that he looked two or three years older than he had before we started, was it?
"If you're going to build something or make a plaza, you'd usually want to remove the stumps and level the ground, but doing that without any heavy machinery is incredibly difficult. Even for trees this size, you'd normally need a chain block or a hydraulic excavator. Of course, you could dig up all the soil around the roots by hand, but that takes a massive amount of time because the root systems are so wide. Besides, in forests like this, the standard practice is just to leave the stumps to decompose and return nutrients to the soil. If you pull them out carelessly, you risk causing a landslide."
"The roots act as anchors for the mountain’s soil, right? Can't they be pulled out by hand?" Yuji asked.
"Roots spread out much further than what you see on the surface. In a dense forest like this, they’re often tangled with the roots of neighboring trees. That makes them harder to pull, and if you’re not careful, you might damage the roots of trees you intended to keep, causing them to wither and die."
"I see. Understood."
When Yuji pressed for more details, it turned out that forestry work generally doesn't involve stump removal. If the trees have grown excessively large, they might consider it, but only after careful planning, as loosening the soil can lead to disasters.
Consequently, we ended the session without touching the stumps.
We headed back to the cars for a break. We weren't particularly tired, but the three experts, led by Takarada-san, seemed to be at their mental breaking point.
Apparently, our work pace had been one continuous sequence of impossible feats.
"After a short rest, we'll have you learn the basic fundamentals of construction," Yuta-san explained.
"Understood. Sasamori-san, we’re looking forward to it."
"Ah, yeah... same here."
When we bowed to Sasamori-san, he gave us a strained look and replied in a voice that lacked its previous confidence. Given the "results" he’d just witnessed, he was likely dreading what would happen when it was his turn to teach us.
Once the break was over, we moved to a flat patch of land where no trees grew.
"Well then, shall we begin the construction... practice?"
"We look forward to it!"
Having managed to pull himself together during the break, Sasamori-san addressed us with the air of a teacher.
"When you build a structure, the first thing you have to do is check whether you need to submit a building confirmation application to the local government."
"A building confirmation application? But we’re deep in the mountains, miles from civilization..."
"Even in the middle of nowhere, there are many cases where a building confirmation application is required. Of course, depending on the location, scale, and structure, it might not be necessary, but if you build something without permission and they issue a demolition order later, you’ll have to tear it down and cry about it, right?"
"That would... be awful. After all that hard work."
An image flashed through our minds: we’d just finished a build when a government official appeared, thrusting a paper labeled "Demolition Order" into our hands. We then pictured ourselves, out of sheer spite, unleashing an attack that turned the cabin into a pile of rubble in under a minute.
If we could avoid a future like that just by checking ahead of time, we should definitely follow Sasamori-san's advice.
"So, if you're going to build a shack, make sure you verify whether you need to submit that application first."
"Yes, sir."
"Now, let's talk about what comes next. Once the building confirmation application is approved, the first step is the foundation work. If the foundation isn't solid, your hard-earned building will lean or collapse."
"The foundation is that concrete base they pour for houses, right? But that requires a ton of concrete. Wouldn't that be impossible this far up the mountain?"
Recalling the narrow path we’d taken to get here, we all made sour faces. A concrete foundation would require several mixer trucks depending on the scale. However, the trail was nowhere near wide enough for large vehicles. If we wanted to get a mixer truck through, we'd essentially have to widen the entire road just to do the foundation work.
I didn't really want to get into construction on that scale...
"True, there are foundations that use large amounts of concrete for the entire footprint, but there's also a method called an independent foundation, where you place a single foundation for each pillar. This is much less labor-intensive, making it a better choice for remote mountain sites."
"An independent foundation... Is that like the pillars of old shrines that sit on top of large stones?"
"Exactly. Nowadays, people often use concrete blocks as independent foundations. However, you have to be careful—if a building confirmation application is required, there are cases where using blocks like that is legally prohibited."
So that meant we could only build small, emergency shelters or storage sheds for tools. Building a proper residential structure sounded like a headache.
In other words, if we wanted to build a serious structure or develop the land properly, we’d have to start by widening the road. To develop the deep mountains, we first needed a massive civil engineering project... I shuddered to think how much that would cost.
"I understand, but... there sure are a lot of regulations."
"The regulations are there to ensure the safety of the building and the lives of the people using it. It would be a disaster if amateurs just mass-produced poorly made, dangerous structures that were at risk of collapsing."
"I see."
Sasamori-san’s point was perfectly valid. I’d seen news reports about abandoned, amateur-built houses becoming hazards. If people could just build whatever they wanted without rules, that’s exactly what would happen.
It was definitely a problem.
"That said, if it's just a small storage shed, an independent foundation is usually fine. As long as you don't start trying to build a multi-room bungalow or a multi-story house."
"We don't have any intention of living in the mountains right now, so we don't need anything like that. At most, we’d want a shed or a shelter to wait out the rain," Yuji replied.
"That’s for the best."
As Sasamori-san warned us not to get too ambitious, Yuji shook his head with a wry smile. Our goal was a training ground, not a vacation resort.
Though, if we ever decided to resell the land later, it might be worth developing it so that a proper house could be built there, just to increase the value.
"Now, foundations aside, let's talk about materials. There are two main ways for you to get lumber: felling trees yourselves or buying it from a lumberyard or home center. Of course, you could also buy a log house kit or a prefab unit..."
"Since we're talking about developing the land, we’d like to do as much as we can ourselves, including sourcing the materials... if possible. Though we’ll buy whatever we can't manage on our own."
"That’s a good mindset. However, keep in mind that it takes a long time from felling a tree to having usable building material. If you’re in a hurry, you should consider buying pre-processed lumber. Depending on the wood, it can take over six months just to dry it out before it's ready for use."
"Over six months...?"
We were stunned. We hadn't considered that the wood wouldn't be usable for half a year. Given our development speed, a six-month gap was far too long. If we spent six months just felling and excavating, the mountain would be bald and the ground would be riddled with tunnels. If we had a place to dump the fill, we might even be able to level a small hill in that time...
"If there’s too much moisture in the wood, it will warp or bend after you process it. If you’re using mortise and tenon joints, any significant warping means the pieces won't fit together, making them useless. Even if you use it for floors or walls, gaps will open up between the boards as they dry."
"That... would definitely be a problem."
I didn't want the joints to come apart or for the walls to have gaps letting in rain and drafts. It would be a nightmare to finish a cabin only to realize it was a defective structure at risk of collapse.
"I personally wouldn't recommend using green wood. If the warps go the wrong way, the whole thing could come down."
"Right. But half a year, huh..."
If we had to wait that long, maybe buying from a lumberyard was the better option.
That was something the three of us would need to discuss later.
"I'll talk it over with the others," I said.
"You should. Things like 2x4 lumber are readily available at home centers."
"Yes, sir."
After that, Niimi-san joined the conversation, and they taught us which types of wood were suitable for construction. When we asked Niimi-san about drying the trees we had just felled, he said that even with natural drying, it would take at least three to four months to get them into a usable state.
Yeah, for amateurs like us, buying materials seemed like the smartest choice.
Once we’d gone through the construction basics and a short practical session on wood processing, Sasamori-san's lecture concluded. We didn't have enough materials to build anything substantial, but we’d gained the necessary knowledge and techniques.
He promised to give us a "how-to" guide or a text summarizing the construction process later, so we’d just have to do our own research and try things out.
"Good work, everyone. That covers today’s schedule. Hirose-kun, I’m sure you’re all tired from the unfamiliar work, but thanks to your help, we’ve gathered some excellent data."
"Ah, no. It was fun to experience things we don't normally get to do," Yuji replied.
"I'm glad to hear that."
"He thinks it was fun, does he...?"
Hearing Yuji and Yuta-san, Takarada-san muttered in a low, exasperated tone. For him and the other experts, today had been a day where their reality was systematically dismantled.
When the person who caused that destruction calls it "fun," I suppose it’s only natural to want to grumble.
"Takarada-san, Niimi-san, Sasamori-san, thank you very much for your help with our explorers’ development verification. Thanks to you, we were able to collect all the data smoothly."
"Ah, no... it was a valuable experience for us as well."
"Same here. It’s given me a lot to think about regarding the future."
"Haha, it really drove home the fact that common sense changes every day."
The three experts offered polite, strained smiles as they spoke. They looked completely spent, and I could tell they just wanted to go home and collapse into bed.
After having their world turned upside down, a long night's sleep was probably the best way to process everything.
"We may ask for your help again in the future, so I hope we can count on you then."
"Haha, if my schedule allows, certainly."
"Indeed, I'll be waiting for your call."
"I’ll look forward to it."
"Thank you very much."
The experts were clearly just being polite, but Yuta-san returned the standard pleasantries without missing a beat.
...Yeah, that was a real "adult" conversation right there.
"Well then, we’re dismissed for the day. Good work, everyone!"
"Good work!"
At Yuta-san's signal, the development verification—which had finished way ahead of schedule—officially ended.
We watched the experts’ cars pull away before getting into the car Yuta-san was driving. We were headed for the Kiritani Real Estate office. A review meeting was on the agenda for when we arrived, but first things first: we needed a late lunch.